In general, working platforms for offshore wind energy plants are multi-purpose units. Mainly, the working platform provides access to the wind energy plant, e.g. for service engineers, and allows receiving service equipment or spare parts for the wind energy plant, e.g. from a supply ship. Today's working platforms are assembled using a very high number of separate components and hundreds of studs and screw connections. For instance, a typical working platform according to the prior art has approximately 700 screw connections. Every single screw and stud has to be inserted (i.e. hammered in) and subsequently tightened following a complex construction plan. Further, the screw connections have to be checked and re-torqued following a complex maintenance plan.
In order to comply with corrosion protection requirements, every single screw, which is exposed to the harsh offshore atmospheric conditions, has to be encapsulated using a special cap or seal. This is a cost-intensive process in terms of labor as well as in terms of material expenses.
However, despite of the above-mentioned considerable effort for corrosion protection, the screw and stud connections prone to errors and still represent the weak points in the construction work of the working platform. The screw connections are problematic with respect to strength and stability as well as with respect to resistance to corrosion of the working platform. According to the prior art, a tight maintenance schedule is necessary and the screw connections have to be checked in regular intervals and have to be replaced if necessary. This leads to high maintenance costs.
Further, the high number of separate components not only leads to complex assembly work of the working platform but also demands for an anti-corrosion treatment of every single component. An anti-corrosion treatment of a high number of separate components is a cost- and time-consuming process.